Reference is hereby made to prior pending application Ser. No. 06/164,306 filed June 30, 1980 in the names of James T. Workman, et al. relating to a tamper-resistant locking clip for dispensing pumps. The present invention comprises an improvement over the teachings of that application.
The clip of said prior application is intended for use primarily in conjunction with an additional, permanent lock of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,691, Wallace F. Magers, titled "Locking Clip for Hand Pumps". Although permanently installed, the lock of that particular patent may be selectively rotated by the user into either locking or nonlocking positions. The concepts of the aforementioned Workman, et al. application involve utilizing the structure of a permanent lock such as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,691 as a means of attachment for the temporary Workman, et al. clip to the pump. Thus, the Workman, et al. clip includes a pair of separate arms, each generally C-shaped and having a hook at its outermost end which snaps into a suitable recess on structure such as the U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,691 lock, and it is through this type of connection that the Workman, et al. clip is held onto the dispensing pump during shipment and shelf storage.
While the Workman, et al. clip has proven to be quite satisfactory, there are times when it is desirable to utilize a disposable, tamper-proof locking clip on pumps which are devoid of structure relied upon by the Workman, et al. clip. Furthermore, the need has arisen for providing a clip of the subject type which is even more reliable than the Workman, et al. clip in the sense that it is even less likely to acccidentally dislodge from the plunger during the severe loading forces to which such plungers are often subjected when their containers are upended and violently shaken or jarred during shipment and other handling.